A man who said he had two one-on-one meetings with Osama bin Laden a few months before the Sept. 11 terror attacks pleaded guilty today to aiding Al Qaeda, the terrorist organization. The defendant, Sahim Alwan, was the fourth of the “Lackawanna six” — six young Yemeni-Americans from the Buffalo area — to plead guilty to charges that they attended Al Farooq, a training camp run by Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. As part of a plea agreement, Mr. Alwan, 30, pleaded guilty to one count of providing material assistance to a terrorist group. In Federal District Court, Mr. Alwan acknowledged that he first met Mr. bin Laden at a safe house in Kandahar, Afghanistan, then traveled to Al Farooq and met Mr. bin Laden again at another safe house in Kandahar. Mr. Alwan’s lawyer, James Harrington, said Mr. bin Laden asked about the treatment of Muslims in the United States. “Sahim told him they’re treated better than in a lot of Muslim countries,” Mr. Harrington said. “He told them they’re allowed to practice their religion freely, without government interference.” Full Story
About OODA Analyst
OODA is comprised of a unique team of international experts capable of providing advanced intelligence and analysis, strategy and planning support, risk and threat management, training, decision support, crisis response, and security services to global corporations and governments.